Sunday, January 22, 2017

From a kid who would do almost ANYthing to get on the air calling local DJ’s, and started developing his ‘act’ doing humorous PA announcements in grade school, Seattle-based FITZ shares the story of how he got his start, and the steps that lead to his nationally syndicated morning show, distributed by the SBG radio networks.

Add FITZ to YOUR lineup: Click HERE

Fitz reveals some of the biggest mis-conceptions and next steps to those who THINK they’d like to be syndicated, but aren’t ‘there’ yet.

He also shares some great tips for PD’s & GM’s on the care & feeding of an established air talent and what HE looks from a good program director or manager and how he deals with having TON's of PD's clearing his network show.

We also asked FITZ what’s ONE THING that worked so well radio stopped doing it. His observations may surprise you…as may his tips to correct the problem!

No matter the significant changes which technology has introduced to the complexity of being a media company, the daily mission remains the same as it has for decades – put on a good show. The winners go to work unconditionally dedicated to committing great radio.

Great talent and great stations invest time and attention differently than others. One of the things the greatest do consistently is get people to talk about their shows and their stations. “Get people to talk about your radio station,” so said the legendary Gordon McLendon in advice to his managers about how to be a market leader. As a practical matter this means putting the audience to work, getting listeners to spread the word about your station.The ongoing challenge is to engage the audience and get into their conversations. This process begins with creating something worth talking about. Content is still king. Channels of content distribution have increased dramatically representing a radical change in how people become aware of and consume content. It’s the dawn of a new world including new behaviors and habits in media consumption. The good news is thanks to digital distribution, including social media, once you’ve created killer content, getting content and word out about that content out there has never been easier.

The most successful shows and stations understand it’s critical that their content be discoverable and easy to share. They develop and practice a disciplined policy of staging content across every available and appropriate platform. From on-air recycling, to owned platforms (e.g., station websites and apps), to social networks popular with their audiences, the winners ensure their best stuff is not only out there but ready to be shared as part of the conversation. The A students know the value of exploiting the territory. They’re creating tags, owning hashtags, cultivating key influencers to drive sharing, re-sharing their “greatest hits,” and, most importantly, listening to the audience, constantly looking for new ways to make them the stars of the show.

Monday, January 16, 2017

When it comes to top-rated morning shows, most managers will agree that it takes a little bit of ‘crazy’ to create the chemistry, commitment and contagious enthusiasm that keeps a show at the top of the ratings.Few local hosts exemplify this trait than DAVE SMILEY, captain of the dominant “Smiley in the Morning Show” at Indianapolis CHR mainstay WZPL. In his multi-faceted roles as quarterback, coach and cheerleader, he has demonstrated that there is far more to making great morning radio than meets the ear, and maintains a crucial focus to create the seemingly free-styling morning powerhouse.

In a great story, Dave shares the story of how his first radio gig happened on a 'wing and a prayer'...literally!He also reveals some of his biggest surprises since moving into large-market radio with a leading broadcast company and the journey behind creating such a high-profile, top rated morning show.

PD's or those who would like to be will gain insights on what a developed show hungers for, and some things NOT to do!We also asked Dave about things he knows NOW, he wishes he'd know "THEN". His response may surprise you!

These first 10 Episodes will be available in their entirety ONLY through the end of January, 2017. Then,they’ll be tucked away in the Brandwidth Archives, so if you missed any previous episode, please feel free to download them now.

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Hear the EXPANDED PLAY, including items trimmed for time:

One-minute Martinizing:

What’s missing?

Audience development deserves a place on your weekly agenda. Developing programming which attracts new audiences or persuades existing audiences to listen longer (new occasions or more time per occasion) is essential.

One approach in development which is particularly effective is to listen for what’s missing. This requires you to listen to the market and carefully note what’s now on the air. Whether this study involves a daypart, a specific day, or the market overall, the goal is to put yourself on the listener side of the radio and take notice of what’s being done. Once you know what’s on the air you can begin asking, what’s not being done, what’s not there – what’s missing?

Two examples of this approach in practice.

The Great American Dream Machine was a weekly magazine show on public television. A mix of short features, sketches and song, it was both satire and documentary. It’s acknowledged as seminal work, a precursor to Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show.

The show runners planned to launch the show with rotating weekly hosts rather than the traditional regular show host. It was the brilliant Sheila Nevins who had the better, original idea. Since every show has a host or two, we’ll go without any host. Using images and animation as bridges to connect the show’s segments, Nevins’ fresh concept proved to be a masterstroke. She was watching for something that wasn’t there.

Bill Drake and Ron Jacobs noticed the music stations in LA were playing commercials in what seemed to be a cluttered, random way. The way commercials were played varied by the hour and by the show. Drake and Jacobs decided to program commercials like they programmed music – they used a formal structure. Clutter was cut, commercials were limited and played in clusters creating music sweeps. They had invented KHJ’s now famous game-changer, the More Music strategy. They listened for what was not there.

To grow audience for your show or your stations one of the secrets is to stop trying to get better and start trying to get different.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Welcome to 2017...more than 21,000 Quarter Hours to
commit GREAT RADIO, or not. For this special New Year kickoff episode Brandwidth
On Demand spotlights some insights from our first 10 episodes,
selected to help guide Radio Resolutions that can help you achieve MORE success over
the next 12 months.

There were so many great guests in 2016, it was difficult selecting these tips and predictions.

If you’ve heard the original episodes, these excerpts will serve as a great reminder on ways in which to make better radio in 2017. If you’re new to Brandwidth Nation, we hope these fast-paced excerpts will serve to inspire you to even better things in the coming year! You're also welcome to explore previous episodes, noted in the 'Previous Episodes" section.

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Among featured guests(please click on portraits for original Show Notes and audio):

BJ Shea, morning star at KISW/Seattle, shares terrific tips

on the care & feeding to top-performing air talent.

Premiere nationally syndicated CHR morning show

JonJay & Rich reveal how investing in themselves

has really paid off...and the power of recycling bits!

Longtime morning leader Dave Ryan shares secrets
of OWNING his local market, leading to ratings
domination in the Twin Cities at KDWB.

Entercom SVP/Programming Brian Kelly offers great
pointers on moving UP through the ranks -- and markets!

re

Breakthrough Marketing futurist extraordinaireJohn Parikhalreveals the top tip for excelling --and how many things old are new again!

Fred Jacobsfounder of the trendsetting Jacobs mediaidentifies the business we're REALLY in moving forward.

America's Digital Goddess, Kim Komandoidentifies the skill setsconsumers (listeners) will demand for radio to remain relevant.

One-minute Martinizing:

What’s missing?

Audience development deserves a place on your weekly agenda. Developing programming which attracts new audiences or persuades existing audiences to listen longer (new occasions or more time per occasion) is essential.

One approach in development which is particularly effective is to listen for what’s missing. This requires you to listen to the market and carefully note what’s now on the air. Whether this study involves a daypart, a specific day, or the market overall, the goal is to put yourself on the listener side of the radio and take notice of what’s being done. Once you know what’s on the air you can begin asking, what’s not being done, what’s not there – what’s missing?

Two examples of this approach in practice.

The Great American Dream Machine was a weekly magazine show on public television. A mix of short features, sketches and song, it was both satire and documentary. It’s acknowledged as seminal work, a precursor to Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show.

The show runners planned to launch the show with rotating weekly hosts rather than the traditional regular show host. It was the brilliant Sheila Nevins who had the better, original idea. Since every show has a host or two, we’ll go without any host. Using images and animation as bridges to connect the show’s segments, Nevins’ fresh concept proved to be a masterstroke. She was watching for something that wasn’t there.

Bill Drake and Ron Jacobs noticed the music stations in LA were playing commercials in what seemed to be a cluttered, random way. The way commercials were played varied by the hour and by the show. Drake and Jacobs decided to program commercials like they programmed music – they used a formal structure. Clutter was cut, commercials were limited and played in clusters creating music sweeps. They had invented KHJ’s now famous game-changer, the More Music strategy. They listened for what was not there.

To grow audience for your show or your stations one of the secrets is to stop trying to get better and start trying to get different.